Photo: CISAC
The world's creators and rights organizations are now coming together on new principles for artificial intelligence. During the CISAC general assembly in Paris, the declaration The Paris Commitment was launched - with a clear demand that human creativity must be protected, recognized and paid for in an AI-driven future.
/ 10/06/2026 / Kristian Dugstad
The declaration was adopted during CISAC's 100th anniversary, attended by over 450 creators, politicians and industry players from around the world. TONO was present with a delegation consisting of Director of International Relations Inger Elise Mey, CEO Karl Vestli, TONO Chairman Ole Henrik Antonsen and Board Member Knut Olaf Sunde.
CISAC is the world's largest network of copyright organizations, with over 225 member organizations in more than 110 countries, representing over five million creators. This gives the declaration weight.
The declaration points to four main principles for the development of artificial intelligence: protection of human creativity, transparency and licensing in AI systems, fair remuneration for creators, and clear responsibility for governments.
The background is the rapid development of generative AI and increasing conflict surrounding the use of copyrighted material for training such systems.
“CISAC’s first hundred years were about ensuring that creators get paid. The next hundred years are also about ensuring that human creativity still has a place in society,” says TONO’s Director of International Affairs, Inger Elise Mey.
For TONO, the principles in the declaration are not just about overall goals, but about very specific questions: who should have control over the works, and who should receive the value from them.
– TONO works together with our Nordic and European colleagues to secure the value of music and prevent AI companies from making millions from our works without paying the authors a single penny, says Mey.
A key point is licensing. If artificial intelligence is trained on copyrighted material, it must be done on the basis of permission and payment.
– You don't build the AI economy of the future by using other people's work without compensation. It's about who will reap the value of human creativity – and creators are a crucial part of the value chain.
The declaration also highlights the need for creators to actually have the opportunity to reserve themselves against AI training, and points to collective management as a prerequisite for a well-functioning and sustainable market for AI licenses.
AI was the overarching theme of this year's general meeting. At the same time, the tone was clear: this is not a backlash against technology.
CISAC president and ABBA founder Björn Ulvaeus emphasized in his opening speech that he himself uses AI in songwriting.
- I use AI in my songwriting, and I think it's a fantastic tool.
The point is not to stop development, but to ensure that it happens on fair terms.
– He does not appear as a defender of the past, but as a defender of human creativity in the future, says Mey.
– For TONO, this is also an important position. We are not against AI. We are for creators to have control over how their works are used.
Watch Björn Ulvaeus' speech here:
The debate is not just one of principle. It now has concrete legal consequences.
Several ongoing lawsuits, including against the American AI company Suno, could be decisive for how the AI market develops.
“If Suno wins, the entire AI training licensing market could collapse. If Suno loses, licensing could become the established model,” Ulvaeus said from the stage in Paris.
For TONO and other copyright organizations, this is about more than technology – it's about future revenue for music creators.
The very core of The Paris Commitment is simple: the development of AI must occur in collaboration with – not at the expense of – human creators.
– The most important thing is that this is not an attempt to stop AI, but to establish some basic rules of the game, says Mey.
She points to three principles in particular: transparency, permission and licensing.
– If artificial intelligence is trained on copyrighted works, it must be done with transparency, permission and licensing. That is the core of the message from Paris.
